Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendall Kramer.
Hi Kendall, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began dancing at a very young age, which I think is pretty typical for a lot of dancers, and became interested in choreography and a professional career around age 12/13. I was fortunate that my dance studio was part of an organization called Regional Dance America, so I had the experience of having my choreography adjudicated and selected to be performed a few times in a yearly festival across the Midwest. I was encouraged to design my own lighting, and began calling my own lighting and sound cues. I was desperately afraid, and just so very shy, and I think I sweat through about 3 shirts my first time calling cues. However, I think having so much ownership over my artwork at a young age has really geared me to think about the technical side of the performing arts, which might explain why I gravitate so much toward props and tech-heavy shows. My attic is currently filled with bins of costumes, dresses and props! I have a love-hate relationship with the amount of “stuff” I like to incorporate into any given artistic work.
I graduated with a degree in Dance Performance and Spanish Language from Southern Methodist University in 2010, and from there proceeded to dance professionally as a modern dancer, and choreograph works in Houston and Austin, TX. At a few points post-college, I totally dropped performing, as I struggled a lot with perfectionism, eating disorders, and mental health, and found that these were easier for me to manage outside the dance world. I actually developed quite a passion for teaching dance, and an affinity for working in early childhood education. I still teach, and love it, and I really try to reflect back constantly to think about how I could teach in a way that would help my students grow mentally and emotionally into their artistry.
I returned to Minneapolis in 2019, right before the pandemic. I had an existential moment that seems to be a common theme, and I realized over the span of a couple of weeks that I just really missed ballet. It was an incredibly humbling journey to begin to re-teach myself ballet at home, and I soon found Community Movement Collective was hosting online classes. I highly recommend them! In an effort to counter some of the negative self-images that were coming up for me in conjunction with delving back into ballet, and a desire to push my own boundaries, I decided to enter an amateur burlesque contest called Nudie Nubies (again, highly recommend!) in late 2021. I was amazed at how body positive and how big the burlesque community is in Minneapolis. I also loved how I could find humor on stage, something that can be a bit rare in concert dance. I noticed that one form helped me to understand the other better and helped me to release the pressure of being any one thing. I kind of delved into my body image difficulties head-on, and it turned out to be an incredibly helpful path for me, although I’m still constantly working through it. I’ve continued down both routes, and this adventure is at a point of coalescing into a monthly show at The Bryant Lake Bowl called #betchesnburlesque: A Parody Dance and A$$ Cabaret, which I would LOVE for you to come to. It’s been an incredible learning experience in producing, directing, and choreographing, and I just have the best and most talented cast.
Recently, I’ve also choreographed for Zenon Zone, The Fringe Festival (both works are very prop-oriented), won Nudie Nubies in April 2022, performed burlesque at The Gay ’90s for Debu-tease, and had the great privilege to perform at The Shed in AU with Hatchdance and Honeyworks. I am currently in rehearsals for a work called PARADISE by Hatchdance and Jon Ferguson, it’s a very collaborative work with the dancers, to be performed February 16-19th at the Southern Theater. I am also in cahoots with Zoe Que to create a monthly community program that offers movement artists the opportunity to showcase works in progress and receive feedback and support. My goals for 2023 include weaving more of my singing into my solo work and traveling abroad for dance and choreography. I love how supportive the Minneapolis dance and arts scene is, and I’m so grateful to be able to create it here.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I think what sets me apart from others in that I am very multi-media – I like to see how something inanimate could look cool in motion, or how a joke could be a fun soundscore, how a striptease could be funny, or how the emotion in a dance would be enhanced with a certain type of projection or tech element. In my most recent work for the Zenon Zone program, I am exploring the ways in which tap lights can create lighting design in motion when held in the hands of dancers. My goal for 2023 is to continue to push myself in a multi-media direction, incorporating more music and singing into my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: kendallkramer.com
- Instagram: @kendallmaritkramer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kendallmkramer/
Image Credits
Blake Nellis
Bill Cameron
